One of the problems that many people have with frequent flyer miles and hotel points is that there's no consistent value to them. The airlines and hotels are constantly modifying their award charts and it's nearly impossible to figure out how much your points are worth.

But if there's one exception to this problem, it's the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Starwood points have been the most valuable of any points or miles offered, and they've only increased in value over time. You can transfer Starwood points to more airlines than ever before, and you can also transfer each point for three Marriott Rewards points.

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express is one of the easiest ways to earn Starwood points and you can normally earn 25,000 points after new cardholders spend $3,000 within three months of account opening. Here's some of the best uses of these points:

Redeeming Points for Five Nights at Starwood Hotels

Starwood hotels include nine brands that encompass over 1,300 hotels in 100 countries. Starwood points can be redeemed for award nights at any Starwood property, starting at 3,000 points per night. The Starwood program doesn't have any blackout dates or capacity controls on free night awards. If a hotel offers a standard room for sale, then you can redeem your Starwood points for it. And when you redeem your points for four consecutive award nights, you receive a fifth night for free.

To earn your 25,000 Starpoints, you would have to spend $3,000 on your card, which would give you a total of at least 28,000 points. One option would be to redeem your 28,000 points for four award nights at a Category 3 hotel that costs 7,000 points per night. You would then receive your next night for free for a total of five consecutive nights.

Redeeming Points for Two Nights at Starwood Hotels

Another valuable option for using your Starwood points is to stay at a more luxurious Category 4 or 5 hotel for just two nights. A Category 4 hotel is 10,000 points per night, and a Category 5 hotel is 12,000 - 16,000 points per night. Here are some attractive options:

Redeem Five Nights at a Marriott Property

Since Starwood was acquired by Marriott in 2016, you can now transfer the 28,000 Starwood points you would earn from this card to 84,000 Marriott points. In addition, Marriott also offers a fifth night free when you redeem four consecutive award nights. By redeeming four nights in a Marriott Category 4 hotel at 20,000 points each, you will get four award nights.

Tier 2 Ritz-Carlton properties include:

Transferring Points to Frequent Flyer Miles

Starwood points can be extremely valuable when transferred to frequent flyer miles with over 30 different airline programs. These miles can then be redeemed for award flights on any of those airline's partners, giving you access to award flights on about 200 different airlines. And when you transfer 20,000 points to miles in one transaction, you get a 5,000 mile bonus. Therefore, 25,000 Starwood points can be converted to 30,000 airline miles.

Here are a few of the most valuable options for transferring 30,000 points to miles:

1. A round-trip flight to Mexico and the Caribbean. When you transfer your points to miles with the Flying Blue program operated by Air France, KLM, and others, you'll have enough for a free flight to Mexico or the Caribbean. 30,000 miles can then be redeemed for a round-trip, economy class award between North America and the Caribbean on airlines such as Air France, Korean Air, and Delta.

2. A round-trip ticket within the United States. There are several airlines that you can transfer your rewards to that offer domestic round-trip tickets for 25,000 miles. These include American Airlines, Flying Blue (a Delta partner), Singapore (a United partner).

3. A round-trip ticket to Hawaii on Delta. One of the airlines that you can transfer your Starwood points to is Korean Air, which is a partner of Delta. The Korean Airlines SkyPass program offers award flights to Hawaii for 25,000 miles round-trip, the same price as any other US destination.

4. One roundtrip ticket from the West Cost to Hawaii on Alaska or American Airlines. You can transfer your Starpoints to British Airways which allows you to redeem miles on Alaska or American Airlines. And since British Airways uses a distance based award chart, it only charges 25,000 miles for roundtrip flights to Hawaii from most west coast cities. This includes flights from Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, Portland, Seattle, and even Anchorage Alaska.

Other Options

While free hotel nights and transfers of points to miles are often the best options for redeeming Starwood points, there are others.

SPG Moments

The Starwood program offers options to attend sports, culture, music, and culinary events. Sometimes you must bid on these events as part of an auction, but other events are available for a fixed price. These can include two tickets in a luxury suite for an LA Lakers, New York Nicks, or a Chicago Cubs game, all for 15,000 - 40,000 Starpoints. Other events can include VIP access to the Rachel Ray Show or a luxury suite for the Arian Grande concert at The O2 in London.

SPG Cash & Points

This option allows you to stretch your rewards by redeeming a combination of points and cash, starting at $30 and 1,500 Starpoints per night, and going as high as 15,000 points and $275 for the most luxurious, Category 7 properties.

SPG Flights

If you are overwhelmed by all of the ways to transfer your Starpoints to miles, then you can simply redeem your rewards directly for flights. 25,000 Starpoints can be redeemed for up to $345 worth of flights, with no blackout dates.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Steele is one of the leading journalists covering the credit card industry and travel rewards. His work appears at many of the top personal finance websites and is regularly syndicated by mainstream sites such as MSN Money and Yahoo! Finance.

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